NORTH AFRICA

RICE MEETS WITH EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT, OPPOSITION

CAIRO, Egypt – Secretary of State Rice held private talks with President Mubarak yesterday and then met with a small group of dissidents and democracy activists who complained bitterly about Mr. Mubarak’s efforts to limit political freedom.

Ms. Rice’s aides provided only general details of her discussions with Mr. Mubarak, which centered on the victory of the Islamist group Hamas in recent Palestinian elections and on Iran’s nuclear program. A spokesman for Mr. Mubarak, Soleiman Awad said the president, like other Egyptian officials who met with Mr. Rice, had emphasized the need to maintain support for Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian territories.

Ms. Rice, who said little and took notes during the one-hour meeting with seven activists, told the group that she will continue to press Mr. Mubarak to undertake political actions he has repeatedly promised but not implemented. She urged opposition groups to work together to build an effective alternative to Mr. Mubarak’s rule and Islamic power. Several of the activists told Ms. Rice – who praised Mr. Mubarak publicly Tuesday for allowing opponents in last year’s presidential election – that the Egyptian president is trying to manipulate the political system so his only viable opponent is the Islamic Muslim Brotherhood. This will make Mr. Mubarak’s autocratic government more acceptable to Western powers, they said.

– The Washington Post

WEST AFRICA

FRANCE SENDS OFFICERS TO IVORY COAST TO INVESTIGATE HALIMI KILLING

French investigators are traveling to the Ivory Coast to locate the murderer of 23-year-old Ilan Halimi, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported Tuesday. Halimi was found badly beaten in Paris on February 13; he died of his wounds en route to the hospital. Halimi was Jewish and his killing prompted a large demonstration Sunday in Paris by those who believe the crime was motivated by anti-Semitism.

The BBC said that 15 people had been arrested in France on charges related to the murder. Five have since been released. A 26-year-old Ivorian suspect, who police aim to find in his West African homeland and may belong to a gang known as the Barbarians, fled the country before the arrests were made, the network said.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

PERSIAN GULF

IRAN OFFERS TO FINANCE A HAMAS-RUN PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran offered yesterday to fund a Hamas-led Palestinian government if the West cuts off aid. But Israel vowed to block any money from Tehran and warned the Palestinian Arabs against aligning with what it called “international pariahs.”

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, issued the pledge after a meeting with the Hamas political leader, Khaled Mashaal. Mr. Mashaal and his delegation were in Iran on their latest stop of a tour of Arab and Islamic countries to build support.

Iran, one of Hamas’s strongest backers, shares a nearly identical regional political strategy with the Islamic terrorist group that won last month’s Palestinian parliament elections. Both have called for the destruction of Israel and neither recognizes the Jewish state.

– Associated Press

IN REVERSAL, BULGARIA TO SEND TROOPS TO IRAQ

Bulgaria is to send 120 non-combatant troops and 34 support staff members to Iraq, the BBC reported yesterday. They will be under American command and will guard the Ashraf refugee camp north of Baghdad, starting in mid-March. The Bulgarian parliament approved rejoining the American-led coalition by 151 votes to 15.

The decision is a change of heart for the Bulgarians, who withdrew 400 troops in December after public protests about the Iraq war. Since their troops arrived in Iraq in 2003, 13 Bulgarian soldiers and six civilians have been killed.

– Staff Reporter of the Sun

SOUTH ASIA

PAKISTAN HUNTS FOR MORE THAN 100 TALIBAN FUGITIVES ON AFGHAN LIST

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan was hunting for more than 100 Taliban fugitives whose names were on a list provided by President Karzai of Afghanistan, officials said yesterday.

Mr, Karzai gave the list to Pakistan last week during a visit, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told the Associated Press. “We did receive information about these suspects, and we will capture them, if they are here,” he said.

Mr. Sherpao declined to say how many names were on the list or provide other details about the fugitives, believed to be hiding in Pakistani cities or in rugged tribal regions near Afghanistan. But a security official told the AP that between 100 and 150 suspects, mostly Taliban remnants, were listed and authorities have begun searching for them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

– Associated Press